Another September come and gone but not without a trip to Squam.  Oh how I love it there!  This was my second year attending and even though I didn’t think it was possible it was even more amazing than last year.

I always intend to bring my camera everywhere and take lots of photos but it never happens. I took a few but mostly I was so busy talking and laughing and doing that pics never got snapped.  However I did take a bunch with my phone so if you follow me on Instagram you’ve already seen those (if you don’t follow me on Instagram but you want to you can find me at @alisontauber)

I took a class called Dream Skirt taught by Cal Patch.  And yes, I made a skirt! With pockets!!!  It was so inspiring and exciting and not nearly as scary as I thought it would be. I’ve always wanted to make my own clothing but it’s always seemed too difficult and not something I could possibly do with my rudimentary sewing skills.  Wrong, wrong, wrong! It’s not hard at all and now I have sewing confidence that I never thought I’d have.  Cal is the best teacher, so patient and funny and easy-going (full disclosure, she is also a friend for years so if I sound extra-gushy about her it’s because I know what a cool chick she is outside of the classroom).

But classes aside, SAW is about so much more.  It’s meeting people and talking and sharing and listening and learning.  Imagine what it’s like to be with a big group of people who all “get” you.  Like, really get you.  That’s Squam. I promise.

Doing some research for an upcoming project I came across these books from the early 1930s published by Mystery League, Inc.  Apparently many of the books make for a pretty awful read – ridiculous plot twists, over the top nefarious villains, etc. but that’s not what I was looking for anyway. What struck me about these books is their dust jackets. Great examples of simple, art deco design.  Each cover is generally only one color plus black, white and gray.  Illustrated by a man named Gene, you can see his signature on almost all the covers.

I had a hard time finding more information about these books and about Gene but you can read a pretty good article here.

I’ve just added this sweet little card to my gallery on Pingg.  You can get it right here.

An absolute favorite song of mine and definitely fitting for this summer like weather we are having.

We have been having a stretch of perfect autumn days. I’m enjoying every single second of it, I know snow is just around the corner.

This Wednesday morning I’ll be getting up early and heading up north for three days of classes at Squam Art Workshops.  I’m excited and nervous and thrilled and curious.

My friend Cal and I are carpooling.  It’s a five hour drive and I think we’re both grateful for the company.  She’ll be teaching a class at Squam called Unconventional Embroidery.  Doesn’t that sound fun?

I will be back next week with photos and stories to share.

image by Jen Gray via Squam

No, not that story of O, this is a PG-rated blog people. What I’m talking about is the story of Olive our new little pup!

Olive was found in a soup kitchen in Georgia. My friend Jane volunteers at the kitchen and when she met Olive and her brother she took them in and tried to find them  homes. She brought them to her local shelter where Olive’s brother was adopted out almost immediately.

Fast forward a few months, Jane is up here in the mountains (she lives half the year there and half here), when she receives a call from the shelter. Olive’s time has run out and they are going to euthanize her the following day. When Jane hears this she drives down to Georgia to rescue Olive and brings her back up here.

When Jane sent photos out asking for help to find this sweet girl a home I knew it was meant to be. These are the original photos that wooed me. How sweet is that little face?

We’ve had her for a week now. She and Dexter are getting along really well, they wrestle and run together like old friends. She still doesn’t really know her name (or that she shouldn’t chew on shoes) but it will all come in time.

Both literally and figuratively. Early this month, the Mr. and I bought our first house! During the month of August we’ve decided to keep the house we are renting now so that we can take our time cleaning and painting before we start settling in.

The new house is in Mount Tremper, a little hamlet in Woodstock, NY.  We’ll be at a higher elevation than we are now which means more snow and longer periods of cold (so I’ve been told) but the mountain views and old stone walls make up for it.

I hope to share photos of the progress we are making soon.  The house is in very good condition but the previous owner and I have wildly divergent ideas about color so painting is tops on my list.

Here are some pics I snapped earlier today of the current bedroom colors. There are three total – one will be my studio, one the guest bedroom and one our bedroom.

This purple room will be my studio which I’m painting Potters Clay by Martha Stewart -

This is our bedroom. I’m not opposed to yellow at all  but this one is a bit too bright for me. I’m going to paint it Lemon Drop by Behr -

And the guest bedroom, well, I’m not sure what to do.  It’s the darkest of the three bedrooms and doesn’t get much light. I thought rather than trying to fight it I would go with it and put a dark color on the walls. These are four colors that I’m thinking about. Any thoughts?

The unofficial beginning of summer – bbqs, ice cream, bonfires…  Hope everyone has a fun and relaxing holiday weekend!  Back next week.  xo,A

Last Saturday I went to the Catskill Native Nursery. I meant to write about it all week but somehow now it’s Thursday afternoon and I’m just finding time to do it. Where did the week go?

This nursery is my idea of a little slice of heaven on earth.  It’s run with minimal fossil fuels, mostly solar and wind power. They don’t use greenhouses, just shade houses and cold frames to strengthen the plants. And the selection! My god, I could go on…  Trees, shrubs, wildflowers, fruits, even wetland plants. And all are suitable for growing in the cooler climate of the mountains.

Oh, and they have tons of statues, pots and planters.  How cool is that raven in the last photo? I want him for my garden.